How to motivate yourself to write!

I've been bursting with ideas lately for various stories that I'm working on and I've been staring at my computer screen for the past hour, checking emails and other mundane things like that thinking I really need to write these ideas down but for some reason I just can't get in the writing spirit at the moment. In terms of ideas I'm on a roll but I know that if I don't get them down on paper soon, I'll forget about them. So, I decided to help motivate both myself and anyone who reads this I would write a list of ways you can motivate yourself to write.

1. Remind yourself why you're writing the story. Think back to the early stages of the project when you were really excited about the characters and the plot and the themes raised. It's easy to get bored of a writing project that you've been working on for a long time and want to move on to something new. But, the truth is all writing projects take a little while and if every time you gave up when it got tricky and moved on, you would never ever produce anything. So keep working at it and don't loose faith in the story that you've spent so much time creating.

2. Create a routine for yourself. Put aside a few hours in the day for writing and whether you choose to do this in the morning, afternoon or evening make sure you choose a time that will work for you and stick to it. Avoid time wasting activities like going on Facebook.

3. Take breaks. If you're completely stuck and you're just sitting there staring at your paper with a blank mind then you know it's time to take a small break from your story. Move away from where you are sitting and make yourself a drink or a something to eat. The tiniest change of scenery and a little activity does wonders for a frazzled brain and you will probably find that when you return to your writing, after your break, that you can see a way to get past the "writer's block".

4. Don't give up on your story. When you get to a tough part in your story it can be tempting to just give up on it and start something new instead. You may think that there is no point investing time in finishing a story which you simply don't think is any good anymore but NO story is a hopeless case and if you don't like it at the moment then work on it, building on the weak aspects and you will make yourself like it again.

5. Know that you can do it! Writing a novel can sometimes seem like an impossible task especially when you'e struggling it. There is no denying that it takes a long time it's definitely not easy but it is not impossible. If it was impossible then all the bookshops and libraries would be empty but their bursting with hundreds of diverse books written by all sorts of people. So have faith in your ability and you will complete your story.

So...what are you waiting for? What am I waiting for? Let's go and write!

TOP TIPS: How To minimize frizzy/flyaway hair.

I know I don't usually write tutorials on my blog but I haven't updated it in a while and this is the only thing I really feel like writing about today. I'm having serious trouble articulating myself well enough to do book reviews or anything similar.

So I've been wanting to write a post about taming frizzy hair for a while now. When I was younger I used to really hate having frizzy hair and I used to scour the internet looking for tips to help with it as I'd tried countless frizz ease shampoos and conditioners without any luck. Now I've managed to regain a bit of control over my hair, I figured I would share the top tips I've learned over the years as I'm pretty sure some of them are little known.

1. Don't blow-dry your hair. It dries out frizzy hair and makes it course and extra frizzy. It's best to let your hair dry naturally. If you really don't want to wait then use a diffuser to evenly distribute the heat through your hair but I recommend just gently wringing out your hair (DON'T RUB WITH A TOWEL) and then letting it dry in its own time.

2. Keep hair hydrated and healthy. Of course it's always important to maintain healthy, hydrated hair, whether or not it's frizzy, but it's especially important if you have frizzy hair as dry, unhealthy hair makes it worse. So, to care for your hair, use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner and be sure to leave your conditioner in for about 2 minutes before washing out. In order to keep your hair healthy, as well as hydrated, get it trimmed regularly to prevent dry or split ends. Also do NOT bleach your hair or use heat tools excessively.

3. Don't wash hair with cold water. I used to have very greasy hair about three years ago so, when I washed it, I rinsed out the shampoo with cold water to close the hair follicles. This prevents oils building up in your hair and stops it getting greasy so quickly. This is a good tip if you have very greasy hair but it doesn't do any favours for frizzy hair as frizzy hair requires a certain amount of oil to stop it from becoming dry and, as I mentioned above,it is crucial that your hair is hydrated. So when I became aware of this is stopped rinsing with cold water.* Additionally, make sure you don't over-wash your hair. If your hair remains fresh for three days, wash it every three days. Only wash your hair daily if it is extremely greasy.

4. Don't brush your hair when it's wet. Your hair is extremely fragile when it's wet and the worst thing you can do is repeatedly run a hair brush through it, regardless of what your hair type is. It not only causes your hair to dry static and frizzy but it can rip your hair and cause damage. If you want to untangle your frizzy hair after washing it then either comb it with a wide toothed comb or simply brush through it gently with your fingers.

5. Don't overestimate frizz ease products. It is true that most frizz control shampoos, conditioners and serums are useful but you cannot solely depend on them to make your hair tame. For example you can't just blow-dry your and straighten your hair and just assume it's not going to make your hair dry and frizzy because you've used a frizz control shampoo. You're much better of using more basic tips to solve frizz rather than just spending a fortune on products. I regularly use "Dove 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner for normal hair", which isn't a product specially for frizzy hair but I still have relatively frizz free hair, when using it, as long as I follow the tips that I preach.

The only remaining tip I can offer is don't let your frizz rule your life. True, it's a pain and it does mean you may have some bad hair days if you get caught in the rain but don't let it get you down! Just care for your hair the best you can and don't panic too much if a little bit of frizz still shows up now and again. Hope this post helps!

*Recently, after washing my hair less often I've found that finishing with cold water isn't making my hair frizzy anymore due to the fact that I'm not washing it excessively. Try both and see what works for you.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review (SPOILERS).

My friend, Matt and I at the cinema.

I was beginning to feel sorry for my poor abandoned blog today so I decided to try and write a review of the epic, emotional finale of the Harry Potter films. I went to see the film on Friday morning with my friends after a pretty much sleepless night wishing I was at the midnight release and worrying about the end of Harry Potter. I actually recorded a video-log of my day which you can find here if you are interested. Overall, I really enjoyed the film; it was exciting, funny, emotional and epic and I have very few complaints. I think, in order to cover everything I want to in this review I'm going to have to split it in to sections. Read no further if you haven't seen the film yet because the following contains spoilers, however you may wish to skip to the last paragraph which is spoiler free.

Good Points

The sense of belonging and sentimentality was beautiful when the trio returned to Hogwarts, I especially enjoyed the use of the theme tune in this scene as it really built up a feeling of hope and the idea that Harry, Ron and Hermione were no longer alone. The build up to the battle was perfectly paced, I loved all of McGonagagall's lines from when she said "it's good to see you" to Harry to "I've always wanted to do that", after bringing the suites of armour to life. I thought Matthew Lewis was awesome as Neville too...infact, despite some of his perfect lines being changed (I'll join you when hell freezes over), he was absolutely super! Also Ron and Hermione's kiss was adorable, I didn't even mind that they changed the location of it. Overall main thing this film did succeed in was portraying the emotion; from when the trio arrived at Hogwarts I was crying on and off until the end of the film. I thought the tragedy of war was represented well and it  felt nearly as sad as it did in the book, which is certainly an achievement. Lastly, I was much more impressed by the "19 years later" scene then I thought I would be, the actors didn't look silly and John William's "Leaving Hogwarts" playing in the background added a whole new level of sentimentality to the whole thing which was perfect for the end.

Bad Points

After the disappointment of  "The Half Blood Prince" film I have grown to expect many changes from book to screen so most of the changed made in "Part 2" didn't bother me too much. However a section of the film that did frustrate me was from when Harry "came back to life" to when he killed Voldemort. The prolonged killing of the snake dragged and I couldn't see the point in it and I didn't enjoy Harry and Voldemort's final battle for several reasons;

1. The only characters who showed a flicker of emotion when Harry was thought to be dead were Hagrid and Ginny and the whole scene just felt a little awkward to watch.

2. I didn't understand the part when Harry grabbed on to Voldemort and they fell out of the castle together; the clawing at each others faces was particularly bizarre and I really didn't see the point in that whole section.

3.There was nobody watching when Voldemort died. I loved the fact that it was a public affair in the book. I felt it was really important for it to be a very open moment in the midst of hundreds of hushed people because it made it tense and meant that those fighting were finally able to actually witness the victorious end of the war and see for themselves what they had been fighting for come true. Also, it meant Voldemort's humiliation, when Harry called him Tom, was multiplied by the dozen by the fact everyone was there to witness it.

I won't go in to any more detail about parts I  didn't like because I do like this film...a lot and too much negativity would be unfair. 

Overall Thoughts


To tell you the truth my overall thoughts are too jumbled to put in to words. I can't quite believe the last Harry Potter film has come out but, at the same time, I don't feel like Harry Potter had ended entirely. I'm currently re reading (for the hundredth time) the Harry Potter book series and am so excited for Pottermore. I just feel like there's still so much to be explored, so much more to be done and so much more to look forward to before I can feel like Harry Potter has truly ended. As a dedicated fan, deeply in love with the Harry Potter world I know that Harry Potter will always live on in the hearts and minds of its most dedicated fans. Even though I feel this way I think it's safe to say the movies went out with a bang! Obviously, I recommend this film, it's unmissable really seeing as it's the LAST one!